Life in ATX: My Favorite Bars

Another week, another list of my favorite things here in Austin. This week we’re talking about bars. Going out for drinks is always a fun way to catch up with friends, and Sarah and I go out for drinks every few months. In fact, we just went the other night to a bar and met some super cute dogs. And now Sarah has decided I’m getting a dog in the next six months. Either way, here are some of my favorite bars in Austin.

My Favorite Bars in Austin

These are in reverse chronological order, so number one is my favorite.

4. Yard House in The Domain

The Domain and Domain Northside are my favorite spots in Austin. There is great food, great shopping, there is the Amazon Bookstore and Erin Condren has one brick-and-mortar store in the country. That store is here. So the Domain is my favorite social place in the city because of all of this and because I live pretty close. So most of these bars are in the Domain.

Yardhouse is one of the first places that moved into Domain Northside and Sarah and I actually went there a year or so ago, right before she moved down. I went back a few weeks ago with another friend and the bar is nice, but it is a little pricey for someone who doesn’t make a lot of money. It also feels pretty upscaly. But sitting outside is always my favorite so bonus points for a fantastic outdoor patio.

3. Dogwood

This is also in the Domain and I went here a few weeks ago with a friend. They have a rooftop patio which is amazing. We didn’t sit up there (they were having a separate function), but they had a patio on the floor level we got to enjoy. They also have fanms on the patios which is a must for anything in Texas.

2. The Yard (Not to be Confused with Yard House)

The Yard is where Sarah and I went to last Monday night. Monday was Happy Hour Pricing all night long, but talk about a nice surprise! Also, there were so many dogs, we couldn’t handle it. The drinks were half off (because Happy Hour) and the food was pretty good too. I had some barbecue wings and those were really yummy.

We also had a little bit of fun after where I left my phone in her car and couldn’t wave her down, so I had to find her on the road. That was an interesting experience.

1. Austin Beer Garden

Sarah and I went here when I had my schedule shift a few months ago. We sat inside (I think it was raining) but we were here for three or four hours and had a lot of fun. They have lots of beer options there and we always seem to drink beer. It is a little far for me, but I’d totally go down there again, especially since there is outdoor seating and I’m all for that despite my allergies. They have live music, too, and this place just drips in “Austin-ism.”

Sarah and I always go to different bars, so it’s hard to pick just my favorites. My true favorite bar in Austin closed at the beginning of the year so this list would look a little different had I done it last year. But because it was my hands down favorite, I gotta mention it.

Honorable Mention: Flying Saucer

Like I mentioned before, Flying Saucer closed at the end of 2017. Before it closed, this was my go-to bar. This was the first bar I met anyone at, I met my old roommate here, and Sarah and I went here once and had a lot of fun. When I saw that it was closing, I was pretty sad, but Flying Saucer gave me some great memories.

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Established in 2014, ginger and co. has become a place for women in their twenties to find advice on an array of topics, including the publishing world, managing your career, surviving college, the weird universe of online dating, and everything in between.